BUTUAN CITY - The regional office of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) in Caraga region reported Friday night 23 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and one death in Butuan City.

“As of August 21, 2020, DOH Caraga reports receipt of 46 RT-PCR confirmatory results from the GeneXpert TB Reference Laboratory of Butuan Medical Center where 23 tested negative and the other 23 turned positive for the COVID-19 virus,” it said.

All the new cases were from Butuan City wherein 18 were close contacts of previously confirmed cases, and five were new local transmission cases. 

Based on the data, 22 percent belonged to the age brackets 30-40 and 50-60 years old; 17 percent (4) 10-20 years old; 13 percent (3) 0-10 years old, and nine for ages 20-30, 40-50 and 60-70 years old. 

The new cases were distributed in the following barangays: Ambago (12), Fort Poyohon (3), Holy Redeemer (3), Limaha (2), Ampayon (1), Doongan (1) and Mahogany (1). 

Most of them (17) were asymptomatic, while six exhibited mild symptoms, the DOH-CHD said. 

The asymptomatic cases were strictly being monitored in designated quarantine facilities, while the symptomatic patients were admitted in hospitals for management, it also said. 

To date, the number of COVID-19 cases in Caraga region now totals 420, with 333 (79 percent) recoveries, 83 (20 percent) active cases, and four deaths. 

As of this writing, Butuan City local transmission cases have already reached 89, the DOH-CHD said. 

These are the barangays where more than two cases were recorded for the past three weeks: Ambago, Buhangin, Doongan, Holy Redeemer, Libertad, Limaha, San Vicente and Fort Poyohon. 

The fourth confirmed COVID-19 death was a 50-year-old female from Butuan City who had cough, fever and shortness of breath on August 15. The patient was admitted at Butuan Medical Center on August 17. Two days after, the patient’s symptoms worsened and was referred to Caraga Regional Hospital for intensive care management. However, the patient died on the same day. 

“We express our deepest sympathy to the family of our 4^th COVID-19 death,” DOH 13 Regional Director Dr. Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. said. 

“This virus has affected the lives of many and if we are not vigilant enough, it can infect our loved ones or us,” the region’s health chief said. 

“Once again, we call on all our barangay officials, local chief executives and all members of the task forces to intensify the enforcement of the minimum health standards and to implement necessary localized/granular community quarantine measures based on the national action plan zoning containment strategy,” he said. 

“We remind everyone to please stay at home, regularly wash your hands, observe physical distancing and boost your immune system. Our local transmission cases are continuously increasing and we need to halt it before it is too late,” appealed Llacuna.